Not Letting Go, Don’t Want to Let Go, Can’t Let Go
Su Jingyang knew in his heart that he couldn’t force himself to take all the blame for what happened to Xiang Cao, yet the whole thing still hit him hard. Days had passed, yet he still felt a weight pressing on his chest, leaving him listless and dispirited.
Xiang Cao was a serious criminal, so visits weren’t allowed. Su Jingyang couldn’t go see him, and he had no way to ask where Xiao Shui was buried. Su Jingyang tried to search on his own, yet he still didn’t find it. He believed Xiang Cao must’ve chosen a quiet, good place for Xiao Shui to sleep.
The town had still been lingering on Ling Li’s old matter, but after Xiang Cao’s incident, all the heated street-corner talk turned into the Xiang family massacre case.
Before, Ling Li would still get stared at, pointed at, and measured with all sorts of looks whenever he went out. Now that happened far less, as if compared to Xiang Cao, Lingli's past troubles barely warranted mention.
Ling Li no longer needed to wear a veil hat to come and go from Lin Ji Small Eatery. People who disliked him wouldn’t come eat there anyway. People who did come probably didn’t care about that old story. Ling Li also truly had talent in the kitchen. He was willing to study and improve, and his dishes were genuinely delicious. Business gradually recovered some heat, and the kitchen even hired extra help.
Ling Li was busy, yet he still came out every so often to check on Su Jingyang. Nearly every time he came out, Su Jingyang would be sitting behind the counter with his cheek propped in his hand, staring into space like his soul had drifted away.
Ling Li felt terrible about Xiang Cao too, yet he understood that beyond the pain, Su Jingyang carried even more regret. That regret stabbed into the heart. Time might dull it, yet it would never truly be forgotten.
Ling Li wanted to comfort him, but he didn’t know how to begin.
Several days later, Rong Ci came to Ling Li’s place and hesitated before telling Su Jingyang, “Um, last night I wasn’t home. That chicken ran out in the middle of the night. By the time I discovered it, it had already… frozen to death.”
Su Jingyang was still holding a broom. His eyes went wide as he stared at Rong Ci in disbelief for a moment. “Frozen to death?”
Rong Ci nodded.
Su Jingyang’s eyes immediately flooded. He looked at Rong Ci and started crying, the tears pouring harder and harder. “It actually, it actually died. How did you manage to, how did you manage to… frozen to death…”
Ling Li happened to come in from the kitchen and saw Su Jingyang standing there with the long broom, crying so heartbreakingly. Ling Li was stunned, and he rushed over to comfort him. Rong Ci quietly signaled Ling Li to be silent, then shook his head without a sound.
Ling Li froze, then understood at once. He walked softly to Su Jingyang’s side, looked at him with a pained expression for a moment, and gently took the broom from Su Jingyang’s clenched hands. Ling Li brought out a chair, pressed him down to sit, then draped a coat over him, letting him sit there and cry.
When Su Jingyang cried, he didn’t make a huge commotion. His eyes were red, and tears dripped down from his tightly pressed lips and his chin, drop after drop. His shoulders trembled as he sobbed. He looked miserable. Even Ah Xuan, who had been playing nearby, ran over and poked his little head in, worriedly asking what was wrong with his uncle.
The three of them stayed in the courtyard around Su Jingyang, watching him cry.
When it seemed like the pent-up suffocation in Su Jingyang’s chest had mostly spilled out, Ling Li finally held his hand and spoke gently. “Jingyang, don’t be sad anymore. We’ll bury the chicken, and even set up a memorial stone for it, all right?”
Rong Ci looked at Su Jingyang’s watery eyes, and his tone softened too. “It was my fault. I was careless. However you want to arrange it, I’ll listen to you.”
Su Jingyang had stopped crying. He stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly raised his sleeve and wiped his face hard. He took a long breath and steadied himself. His clear eyes still held tears as they flicked toward Rong Ci, then to Ling Li, who was squatting in front of him with worry all over his face. Su Jingyang squeezed Ling Li’s hand back, looking a little embarrassed. “Forget it, forget it. I wouldn’t really go that far over a chicken. I just, I just…”
Su Jingyang didn’t finish. He rubbed at his eyes and said through a thick nasal voice, “Don’t waste it. Let’s stew it into soup and drink it.”
So that chicken, the one tied up in all sorts of love and hate with Rong Ci, still couldn’t escape its fate. It ended on the dinner table.
After they finished eating, Rong Ci heard Su Jingyang collecting bowls while muttering nonstop, “I told you not to name it Yangyang, I told you not to name it Yangyang. Now it froze to death, truly inauspicious!!”
Rong Ci saw his indignant energy and knew his long-suppressed emotions had finally released and he had returned to normal. Rong Ci lifted his chin and raised his voice slightly. “What do you want then?”
Su Jingyang looked up, dead serious, and told him he needed a red envelope to press down the bad luck.
Rong Ci actually gave him a red envelope the next morning. Su Jingyang took it, opened it, and saw what was inside.
It was a banknote for one hundred taels!!!
Su Jingyang went completely blank. He had been asking for auspiciousness, not actually begging for money. Tossing out a hundred taels so casually was enough to buy two small houses. Su Jingyang hurriedly tried to return it and said a single copper coin was enough. Rong Ci paused, then told him, “I don’t carry money that small.”
In the end, Su Jingyang insisted that Rong Ci bring over broken silver . Su Jingyang exchanged it into the appropriate number of copper coins, then made Rong Ci put a single copper coin back into the red envelope. Only then did Su Jingyang accept it.
Rong Ci was amused by him. He stared at Su Jingyang’s satisfied expression and murmured, “I’ve never seen anyone who can stir up trouble like you.” Rong Ci felt like Su Jingyang always liked being stubborn over small matters.
Su Jingyang tucked the red envelope away. Hearing that, he glared at Rong Ci with a sour face. “If you hadn’t named the chicken, where would all this trouble come from? It’s your fault!”
They bickered harmlessly for a while, then separated. Rong Ci seemed to have errands outside. Su Jingyang went to Lin’s Small Eatery with Ling Li and Ah Xuan. Seeing that Su Jingyang truly was much better, the stone in Ling Li’s heart finally fell.
Now that the shop had hired assistants, Su Jingyang mostly handled the money. When it got too busy, he helped personally. These past two days, whenever it was slightly quiet, he would sit behind the counter and zone out, thinking.
Although Lingli was still certainly among the unwelcome types in town, his circumstances had improved tremendously compared to before. Even without Su Jingyang, the Eatery could keep going. Liang Lu looked after them as well. Ling Li would surely be able to live comfortably and without worry in the future.
According to Su Jingyang’s original plan, he should have set off at this stage and gone looking for the protagonists of this book. Ever since Ling Li had said that his wish for this life was to stay with Su Jingyang forever, Su Jingyang found it hard to let go.
Would he have to sell Lin’s Small Eatery and take Ling Li with him? Ah Xuan still needed to go to Rongcheng for continued treatment. What was he supposed to do?
Before Su Jingyang could stew in that worry for long, two particularly special customers arrived from far away. Su Jingyang, who had read countless romance storybooks, immediately felt excited. His big eyes shone with the light of hope.
What mattered most for the protagonists of a book?
Looks.
In every story Su Jingyang had read, and in all the novels his female coworkers used to talk about back in his old world, both leads had attractive faces. Even if not stunning, they had to be at least clean and pleasant, enough to make readers want to keep going.
As for the protagonists of a mpreg story, the most important thing was that one was a man, and one was a shuangrenzi.
Su Jingyang stood behind the counter and used a book to hide his face, only revealing a pair of dark, shiny eyes. He held down his wild joy and excitement and secretly studied the two young men sitting at separate tables, yet with an undercurrent of feelings between them that seemed to be quietly surging.
One wore light purple. His sleeves fluttered, his black hair was ink-dark, his skin was snow-pale, and his features were unbelievably delicate. When Su Jingyang had personally served dishes earlier, he saw a red mole on the purple-robed man’s palm. He was a shuangrenzi.
The other wore deep blue with tight sleeves, hair tied up. It was a simple swordsman’s look, yet he carried a hint of restrained nobility. His brows and eyes were clear, and his whole aura felt steady and quiet. He looked a bit younger than the purple-robed man.
They sat separately, yet that blue-robed youth kept turning to gaze at the purple-robed man with a foolish, yearning look. He seemed to want to speak, yet one glance from the purple-robed man shut him up. He then slowly withdrew his gaze and lowered his head in a wronged way. A long while passed, and he still hadn’t touched the dishes in front of him.
Su Jingyang grew more excited the more he watched. This was it, this was it! It was locked in. These were clearly two people with a story!!! The protagonists must be this pair!!!
Su Jingyang was about to find an excuse to go probe for details. The purple-robed man’s eyes swept over and met Su Jingyang’s gaze. Su Jingyang lowered the book and smiled at him.
The purple-robed man smiled back, his eyes bright and captivating.
Su Jingyang used the excuse of refilling tea and trotted over. Before he could even start fishing for information, the purple-robed man invited him to sit, speaking with easy familiarity as he started chatting.
Only then did Su Jingyang learn that the purple-robed man was named Xu Mei.
Su Jingyang’s gaze flicked toward the blue-robed youth at the neighboring table. The youth gave Su Jingyang a slight nod. “Mu Jin.”
Xu Mei tapped the table twice with his slender, jade-like fingers and laughed. “See, see? No one even asked him, yet he volunteers himself.”
Mu Jin didn’t get angry. He simply turned his head away in silence.
Su Jingyang assumed that since they were traveling, they would conceal their identities. He never expected them to be so straightforward and introduce themselves plainly. Mu Jin was the young master of Wangyue Manor. Xu Mei was the son of a wealthy Jiangnan merchant, Xu Long. Mu Jin was nineteen. Xu Mei was twenty-nine.
Su Jingyang stared at Xu Mei’s dewy, youthful face and couldn’t believe it. When he saw him, Su Jingyang thought he was at most in his early twenties.
Xu Mei touched his own face, not even eating anymore as he said dejectedly, “Even if I look young, so what? I’m still a nearly thirty-year-old old man. That’s something I can’t change no matter what.”
Mu Jin called out to him softly. However, Xu Mei remained lost in melancholy, ignoring him, his brows lightly furrowed.
Su Jingyang widened his eyes and stared at Xu Mei’s downcast look. Xu Mei wasn’t putting on airs. He truly cared, from the bottom of his heart, and he truly loathed his age.
Xu Mei seemed to really like the food at Lin’s Small Eatery. He came almost every noon and evening. Mu Jin trailed him like a shadow, rarely speaking, and his gaze almost never left Xu Mei.
Xu Mei also seemed to click with Su Jingyang. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Xu Mei was open-hearted and told him everything.
After several days of contact, Su Jingyang found that Xu Mei’s personality didn’t match his charming, delicate appearance. He was simple and pure, even a bit naive.
Some nights, if he ate too much by accident, Xu Mei would tearfully worry that he would gain weight, ruin his current figure, and become a bloated old man.
After a few days, Su Jingyang finally pieced together the story between Xu Mei and Mu Jin.
It turned out that when Xu Mei was nineteen, he visited Wangyue Manor and met Mu Jin, who was only nine. Mu Jin told Xu Mei that when he grew up, he would marry him as his wife. Xu Mei naturally treated it as a child’s joke, yet Mu Jin’s serious expression was so funny that Xu Mei teased him back. “Once you become the greatest under heaven, I’ll marry you.”
Xu Mei never imagined that the child would take that teasing line and carve it into his bones. Mu Jin began training his sword with painstaking devotion, all so he could become the greatest swordsman and then come propose.
Two years later, Xu Mei married the man he loved and completely forgot Mu Jin. Xu Mei’s sweet days didn’t last even a year. He couldn’t conceive, and his mother-in-law grew to despise him.
Xu Mei secretly went to see a physician and learned that he couldn’t bear children. When the mother-in-law found out, her expression changed. Xu Mei’s husband struggled between sides. After dragging things out for two years with Xu Mei drinking countless doses of medicine still without pregnancy, the husband finally couldn’t withstand the pressure.
He poured out endless grievances to Xu Mei, then agreed to take a concubine. Every vow before and after marriage was fed to the dogs.
Disappointed and heartbroken, Xu Mei resolutely proposed amicable separation. However, his husband clung to him and refused. His mother-in-law exploded with fury. In the end, not only did she refuse amicable separation, but she also forced her son to write a letter of divorce and cast Xu Mei out, claiming Xu Mei had entered the household for three years without producing an heir. They humiliated Xu Mei in front of everyone and ground his face into the dirt.
Xu Mei’s background sounded nice when spoken aloud, yet he was only born of a lesser branch. He had nearly twenty siblings in total. The main wife ruled with an iron hand. Those of the lesser branches lived like ants, barely daring to breathe at home.
After Xu Mei was cast out, his scandal disgraced the household name. Because he couldn’t go home, he took his savings and wandered the martial world to clear his head.
Mu Jin had always quietly tracked his movements. The moment Mu Jin heard the news, he rushed everywhere to find Xu Mei. He finally found him. Mu Jin didn’t go home after that. From the age of fifteen, he stayed by Xu Mei’s side for four years, no matter how Xu Mei tried to drive him away.
After hearing this, Su Jingyang’s first reaction was… this kid Mu Jin matured way too early!
His second reaction was that he realized why Xu Mei refused Mu Jin so stubbornly. It wasn’t because he didn’t like him. Xu Mei kept repeating things like, “I’ve already been married once, and I was thrown out.” “I’m an old man.” “He’s still young, he’ll regret it later.” “People will point and talk.” “They’ll laugh at me.” “I can’t have children. His parents will dislike me. Why is he so stubborn and won’t listen?”
Xu Mei was gorgeous, yet his words always carried a lack of confidence. After Su Jingyang heard more about Xu Mei’s family, he understood why. Xu Mei had two legitimate older sisters who had been domineering since childhood.
They envied his beauty and often attacked him with words, tearing him down until he was worthless. Over time, it left a deep mark. Though he seemed cheerful on the surface, he was insecure inside. Xu Mei always feeling like he was truly not good enough and not worthy of being loved.
Su Jingyang rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes. Schemes began bubbling in his belly.
A childhood promise, a grown-up missed chance, a reunion later. It was exactly like storybook plotlines. It had to be right to push these two together.
Even if they somehow weren’t the protagonists, helping a good marriage come true would still gather energy.
Mu Jin didn’t need explaining. Those lovesick eyes were practically glued to Xu Mei. As for Xu Mei, Su Jingyang could tell that Xu Mei also had feelings. Xu Mei acted like he didn’t care, yet his eyes would still search for Mu Jin under the cover of “casual” glances. Years of following and silent guarding, it would be hard not to be moved.
They were clearly in love with each other. It was just that Xu Mei simply had too many worries, far too many. He needed someone to give him a push.
Xu Mei stayed at an inn, and coming to the Eatery for meals every day was inconvenient. Xu Mei had become close with Su Jingyang, and that day he tugged Su Jingyang’s sleeve and begged, “Boss Su, why don’t you run an inn? Living and eating together would be so convenient. I’ll just sleep here tonight. All right?”
Su Jingyang got along well with him, and Xu Mei was a suspected protagonist. So Su Jingyang couldn’t possibly not care. He immediately decided to buy a bed and bedding for Xu Mei and Mu Jin and set it up in a second-floor private room after closing. Xu Mei pouted and said there was no need to prepare for Mu Jin. Xu Mei wanted to sleep here alone.
Mu Jin ended up staying at the inn by himself. When he left, the tall youth kept his head down, looking pitiful. Xu Mei stared at his back, cheek propped in his hand, and sighed softly in sorrow.
After closing that night, Su Jingyang set up and made the bed for Xu Mei. He also prepared clean towels and hot water so Xu Mei could wash up.
Xu Mei sat by the bed and looked at Su Jingyang with an admiring face. “Boss Su, you’re so good. I’m about to fall in love with you. Why don’t the two of us get together?”
Su Jingyang knew it was a joke and didn’t take it seriously. He only said, “Same for me.”
Xu Mei’s dark eyes shimmered as he stared at Su Jingyang for a moment. He suddenly laughed. “I know. Men can be with men. Women can be with women. Shuangrenzi can definitely be with shuangrenzi too. It’s just taboo love, that’s all. Taboo love is still love. Who cares what others say?”
Su Jingyang finished tidying up. He turned back and answered, “Right, you think pretty openly. Who cares what others say? If you can think like that when it comes to Young Master Mu, then it’s solved.”
Xu Mei seemed to have his inner thoughts exposed. His eyes panicked as he lowered his gaze, fidgeting with his clothes ties.
After a long while, he finally muttered, “The situations are completely different.”
Su Jingyang asked, “How are they different?”
“I’ve already been married once, and I’m ten years older than him. Right now he’s sincere. Ten years from now, I’ll be nearly forty, and he won’t even be thirty. He’ll definitely dislike me. He’ll still cast me out. It’s humiliating. Wangyue Manor has a high reputation in the martial world. If Mu Jin marries me, it will drag their name down, and his parents won’t like me. Forget it. Sigh.” Xu Mei flopped onto the bed and covered himself with the quilt.
Su Jingyang dragged a stool to the bedside and sat down. “Life is short, so enjoy it while you can. Is Young Master Mu the one who can give you happiness or are the people gossiping the ones who can give you happiness? Those people can’t take responsibility for your life. Why should you care? I think Young Master Mu is pretty good. His background is good, and he’s deeply devoted.”
The quilt lump seemed to move a little.
Su Jingyang’s eyes rolled twice. He curved his lips and deliberately made his tone sound a little playful. “If you really don’t want to be with him, then I’ll make my move, okay? Heh heh. I like him quite a bit, after all…”
“No! Don’t you dare!” Xu Mei abruptly threw the quilt off and sat up, glaring at Su Jingyang.
Su Jingyang asked, confused, “Why? You won’t be with him, and you won’t even allow him to be with someone else? That’s pretty selfish. Even if it isn’t me, Mu Jin’s conditions are so good, someone will snatch him away sooner or later. Once that happens, regret won’t help you.”
Xu Mei’s eyes suddenly turned red. Self-abandonment spilled over his expression. “I, I’ve been married. I’m not worthy of him.”
There it was again. Su Jingyang asked him with a serious face, “When men marry wives and also take concubines, isn’t that equivalent to marrying several times? Why do they all find it perfectly natural and others discuss it eagerly, yet you having an amicable separation and properly finding someone to love is like carrying sin, always feeling unworthy? Where exactly are you unworthy?”
Xu Mei’s eyes went wide. He stared at Su Jingyang for a long time without speaking.
After a long while, he changed his sitting position, drew a breath, and his expression turned into something between puzzlement, contemplation, and sudden clarity. He murmured, “Why do I feel like what you’re saying makes so much sense?”
“Because it’s the truth.” Su Jingyang finally relaxed. He was glad that Xu Mei’s insecurity hadn’t completely hardened his thinking, and Xu Mei wasn’t one of those people who would insist that men taking concubines was the natural order of things. “Men can marry and marry again inside marriage. Why can’t you marry again too? You’re already divorced. It’s proper and legitimate.”
Xu Mei looked like he had woken from a dream. He slapped the bed hard and said angrily, “Exactly. That man could take a concubine and marry again after I left. Why did I have to wrong myself all these years? Why, why did I? Mu Jin likes me and treats me well. Why should I refuse, why?”
Xu Mei’s face dimmed as he asked Su Jingyang with hurt in his eyes, “Back then, my family said I had been cast out and ruined the household name. They cursed me so viciously that I started feeling like I wasn’t worthy of Mu Jin’s love. Why did nobody ever say things like this to me the way you do?”
Su Jingyang thought about it and found it hard to answer, because it wasn’t a problem unique to this era. Even in his own so-called civilized society, someone like Xu Mei who divorced due to infertility would still face people who thought it was shameful, even if you were beautiful and capable. If Xu Mei wanted to marry again into a good household with an unmarried young master, gossip was guaranteed.
Feelings could outweigh it all if they were firm enough and you believed it was worth it. Su Jingyang felt that Mu Jin might be young, yet his heart was steady. Mu Jin had truly trained for years and defeated others to become the greatest swordsman under heaven. That alone showed he honored promises. He was someone worth entrusting yourself to.
Su Jingyang’s words seemed to have worked a little. The next day, Xu Mei really did seem different. His gaze kept drifting toward Mu Jin. When Mu Jin looked at him, Xu Mei would awkwardly dodge a bit. Mu Jin asked to sit with him at the same table for a meal. Xu Mei turned his head away and didn’t say anything, which was basically tacit permission.
Su Jingyang could tell that Xu Mei was still struggling and tangled up. Some mindsets couldn’t be flipped in an instant.
Su Jingyang was sure these two would work out in the end. It was only a matter of time.
In his head, Su Jingyang calculated that the progress bar was at 4.7% right now. If they really were the protagonists, there would be a 90% energy eruption later. That would put him at 94.7%. Helping a few more people would give him a real chance to go home. The parting from Ling Li, when that time came, would likely hurt no matter what.
A few regulars arrived just then. Su Jingyang snapped out of his thoughts and hurried up to receive them personally. After he greeted them, he planned to head to the back kitchen. His eyes drifted without thinking, and he noticed the old beggar he recognized standing across from Lin’s Small Eatery, speaking with Rong Ci.
Su Jingyang felt it was strange. He thought about it, then walked over, wanting to see what Rong Ci was doing.
“If I can’t probe the truth of this dream, then I want it to disappear completely. What do I do?” Rong Ci asked with a frown.
The abilities of the Rong clan leader were unquestionably the strongest, yet certain senses only awakened after years, sometimes even after a decade or more. Right now, he could only ask the dream master, yet the dream master was helpless about Rong Ci repeatedly coming to him.
“Clan leader, I said before, treat it like a simple dream. You truly don’t need to take it so seriously.”
Rong Ci gave a cold laugh. “Once every five days, never changing. That can’t be called simple.”
“When the time comes, the dream will naturally disappear.”
Rong Ci asked, “How long until that time comes?”
“The time… is walking toward you. Whether early or late, it will always arrive. Anything more, I can’t say well.”
Rong Ci’s face darkened. He forced down the restlessness in his chest, stood, and turned around. He saw Su Jingyang walking over. Rong Ci turned back and gave the dream master a silver ingot, then went to meet Su Jingyang. Su Jingyang blurted out in surprise, “You’re way too rich. You just hand over several taels like that!”
“I told you I have money. You didn’t believe me?”
“I believe, I believe. You’re a total rich guy.”
Su Jingyang had barely returned to Lin Ji Small Eatery with Rong Ci when Xu Mei called him over. Su Jingyang immediately tossed Rong Ci aside and ran over. The two of them huddled together again, whispering and chattering.
Rongci watched with extreme speechlessness. He knew Su Jingyang had recently been getting along enthusiastically with two customers at the shop and knew he was matchmaking them again. Every time Rong Ci came, he couldn’t get more than a few words out of Su Jingyang.
Rong Ci felt like Su Jingyang spent all day worrying about other people’s business.
That night, Xu Mei claimed he was afraid of the dark and forcibly dragged Su Jingyang into staying over to keep him company. Su Jingyang simply had Ling Li and Ah Xuan stay too. He still had extra bedding from before. Su Jingyang laid down a thick floor pallet and had Ling Li, Xu Mei, and the child sleep on the bed.
Ling Li rarely spoke in front of outsiders, yet while Xu Mei and Su Jingyang chatted before sleep, Ling Li softly added, “You and Young Master Mu truly match well.”
Ah Xuan, who still hadn’t been coaxed to sleep, chimed in too. “You match very well!”
Xu Mei covered his mouth and laughed. “You always say that. You’re going to make me start believing it.”
That night, Xu Mei’s thoughts churned. He stared at the ceiling and couldn’t fall asleep. When there was unusual movement in the eatery, Xu Mei was the first to discover it.
He hurriedly climbed up and shook Lingli, Axuan, and Su Jingyang all awake. They quickly threw on clothes and pushed open the private room door. Thick smoke had already spread to the second floor.
Lin’s Small Eatery was on fire.
Su Jingyang instantly snapped awake. He scooped up Ah Xuan in one motion. It was a good thing that the damp towels they used to wash the night before were still there. Each of them grabbed one to cover their mouths and noses. Ah Xuan obediently held a towel over himself too. He didn’t cry or fuss in Su Jingyang’s arms. They rushed downstairs.
Fortunately, they had discovered it in time. Though the fire on the first floor had already spread, there was still room to escape. However, the main entrance was entirely aflame. So they could only adapt and run to the back courtyard. The back door was burning red as well, flames shooting high. There was no way out.
Su Jingyang didn’t need to think to know that someone was trying to kill them on purpose. He didn’t have time to be shocked or furious. Smoke choked them into violent coughing, forcing them to retreat step by step. In that desperate moment, Su Jingyang’s brain suddenly flashed with an idea. He remembered something. Ling Li seemed to think of it too, and their eyes met.
When Lin’s Small Eatery had been set up, Su Jingyang had someone carve out a small side door behind the kitchen, saying the kitchen was an open-flame area and needed a fire escape route just in case. Liang Lu had even praised him for being prepared.
Su Jingyang had only thought of it on a whim back then. That small side door was usually bolted shut. If there hadn’t been a fire today, he would’ve nearly forgotten it existed.
Su Jingyang hurriedly led them into the kitchen. Thankfully, the kitchen was farther back, and the fire hadn’t reached it yet. They rushed in, opened the side door latch, and squeezed into the narrow alley beyond. They finally escaped the fire scene, stumbling out in a sorry state.
Their faces reflected the firelight as they looked at each other heavily before all breathing long sighs of relief. Everyone was fine. Aside from being slightly frightened, the child was also unharmed.
The alley was extremely narrow. Even one person needed to turn sideways to pass. It took a winding route before reaching another street. From there, turning back to the front entrance of Lin’s Small Eatery took about a quarter hour.
They walked out in silence, then quickened their steps to go back and see what was happening. Before they even reached it, they saw that the two-story building of Lin’s Small Eatery had already been swallowed by flames, firelight soaring to the sky. The area was noisy, shadows and figures moving everywhere. Constables were organizing people to carry water and fight the fire.
Cold seeped through Su Jingyang’s heart. If they hadn’t escaped in time, would all of them have died inside the inferno? What kind of hatred could drive someone to strike this ruthlessly?
Su Jingyang scanned around, searching for suspicious people. He suddenly heard several onlookers nearby talking over each other. “He went in a while ago. With a fire like that, he definitely can’t come out. Everyone said the people inside couldn’t be saved, yet he still insisted on rushing in. Nobody could stop him. Sigh, what a waste, what a waste.”
Xu Mei’s face changed drastically as he rushed over to ask, “Who rushed in?”
The onlooker said, “A man, young, incredibly handsome looking. Seems like his someone was inside…”
Xu Mei turned and tried to charge straight into the fire. Su Jingyang grabbed him hard. Xu Mei nearly tore free. Su Jingyang panicked and shouted, “Calm down, calm down!”
Xu Mei’s tears poured. He screamed until his voice tore, “Mu Jin! Mu Jin! Come out, come out!”
Firelight filled Xu Mei’s eyes. He sobbed so hard his body swayed. Su Jingyang’s heart hurt too. He never imagined things would end up like this.
Right then, Ling Li gasped. “Look, someone came out!”
More accurately, two people came out. One supported the other, both with cloth covering their noses. They staggered, filthy and battered, and the moment they escaped the blaze, it was like they had leapt out from the gate of hell. In the instant they emerged, several beams collapsed behind them, sparking waves of screams from the crowd.
Mu Jin’s condition was not good. He collapsed to the ground the moment he got out, eyes shut. Xu Mei froze with tears in his eyes, then broke free from Su Jingyang’s arms as Su Jingyang loosened for a moment.
Xu Mei scrambled over, hugged Mu Jin, and cried loudly, shouting for him to wake up. He swore that if Mu Jin woke, Xu Mei would agree to marry him, would fulfill their promise from back then.
Su Jingyang couldn’t even focus on that. He stared in shock at the other person who had supported Mu Jin out, hair curled from being scorched. That person removed the cloth mask and looked over. Ten thousand “holy sh*ts” exploded in his heart!!!
He had heard someone rushed in, but he never expected it would include this guy too.
Rong Ci saw Su Jingyang standing there, completely unharmed. After what seemed like a moment’s trance, he appeared to unload a tremendous burden from his entire body. Rong Ci raised his face slightly and shut his eyes hard. A moment later, he strode toward Su Jingyang, urgency wrapping around him in a way that was hard to describe.
Su Jingyang saw Rong Ci reach him and raise a hand high. Su Jingyang’s heart skipped a beat. He was so used to fighting with Rong Ci that he reflexively thought Rong Ci was about to hit him. Just as he was about to turn and run, the raised hand fell onto the back of Su Jingyang’s head instead, pressing him into a fierce embrace.
“Thank goodness you’re all right, thank goodness you’re all right…”
Su Jingyang felt the uneven breath above his head and went completely stiff, forgetting even how to struggle.
Ling Li who was holding Ah Xuan, stared blankly for a moment. He then moved his gaze away with a slight flinch, picked the child up, and turned to check on Mu Jin instead.
Rong Ci’s voice was hoarse as he asked Su Jingyang, “How did you escape?”
Su Jingyang stammered out the truth. Rong Ci held him even tighter. “Stupid thing. At least you were clever for once.”
Su Jingyang felt uneasy. What was wrong with this guy? Even if he was worried, why was he only holding Su Jingyang and not holding Ling Li and Ah Xuan too?
Su Jingyang was being squeezed somewhat painfully and wanted to break free but couldn’t at all. It felt like he was being embedded into Rong Ci’s body.
Su Jingyang said, “Ah Yi, let go of me first!”
Rong Ci tightened his arms. He lowered his head slightly, breath brushing Su Jingyang’s ear, and said in a rough, low voice, “Not letting go. Don’t want to let go. Can’t let go.”
IsitRo: It bugged me to post odd chapters, so this one came in perfect timing. What a strong last sentence to end the chap too! Hohohohohoo em smarrrtt... 💃
0 Comments